10 tastes of Indianapolis for less than $10

Posted!

A link has been posted to your Facebook feed.

Bluebeard, in Indianapolis’ Fletcher Place district, is named after the novel of the same name by native son Kurt Vonnegut. Featuring New American cuisine, Bluebeard is less than two miles from the Kurt Vonnegut Museum, and its cozy dining room feels like a den where Vonnegut might have penned one of his 14 novels. “Kurt Vonnegut made people think about what he said, and he said it in a weird way,” says owner Tom Battista, who also has been a stage manager for Jimmy Buffett over the past 25 years. “Our food is the same way – very creative, a little off kilter.”
Wendy Pramik

The literary theme of Bluebeard is apparent throughout the restaurant. One of the features is freshly baked bread from Amelia’s bakery, a business housed within the building and operated by Charlie McIntosh, the nephew of Bluebeard owner Tom Battista. The bread plate ($8) is accompanied here by a plate of pickled vegetables ($8).
Wendy Pramik

Opened in the downtown area in 1886, Indianapolis City Market is home to more than two dozen local vendors offering a diverse mix of prepared food. “You’ll never find a chain here,” says Joe Perin, public relations and events manager of City Market.
Wendy Pramik

General manager Micah Harshaw presents a tamale at The Tamale Place in the Indianapolis City Market. “It’s cheap, it’s good and it’s filling,” says Harshaw of the half-pound tamale ($3.49) that was featured on the Food Network’s ‘Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives’. “It’s got a nice portion of masa, shredded meat and mild, red sauce.”
Wendy Pramik

Sous chef Jason Chesky holds a plate of three sliders at Harry & Izzy’s in downtown Indianapolis. The restaurant is a casual version of St. Elmo’s, a downtown favorite since 1902, with which it shares ownership. “We thought if we don’t open a restaurant next to us, somebody else will,” says Craig Huse, who owns three Harry & Izzy’s with his father, Steve.
Wendy Pramik

Diners at Harry & Izzy’s can order the famed shrimp cocktail served at sister restaurant St. Elmo’s. Or, they can get a taste of it for less than $10 by opting for the Shrimp Po Boy Slider ($5.50), served with shredded lettuce and remoulade. Also pictured are the fried chicken and filet sliders.
Wendy Pramik

With a funky military lineage and featuring several well-made cocktails for $10 or less, Hotel Tango is Indianapolis’ first homegrown distillery tasting room. Co-founded by Marines vet Travis Barnes and wife Hilary, the distillery produces gin, vodka, rum, whiskey and other spirits at the Fletcher Place tasting room and at a nearby warehouse. The distillery’s name employs the representations of “H” and “T” in the NATO phonetic alphabet.
Wendy Pramik

Hotel Tango co-founder Brian Willsey hams it up with Fletcher, the distiller’s feline mascot, which has its own Instagram page. Hotel Tango is housed in a former mortuary’s carriage repair shop that’s more than a century old. “Fletcher has been here since day one of the distillery,” says Willsey, who’s holding an Orange is the New Whack cocktail ($10) made with Hotel Tango Oscar Charlie Orangecello, simple syrup, fresh lemon juice and Angostura bitters, garnished with an orange swath.
Wendy Pramik

Bob Stark, left, and Mick McGrath, owners of Jockamo Upper Crust Pizza, relax at the bar of the original of three restaurant locations. It’s located in Indy’s Irvington district, which is named after American writer Washington Irving. “We like to focus our efforts on historic areas,” says McGrath.
Wendy Pramik

Jockamo’s is well known for its ingenious pizzas such as the Slaughterhouse Five (named in honor of Indy author Kurt Vonnegut), which is topped with pepperoni, ham, sausage, bacon and steak. The meaty meatball sub ($8.50) comes with eight hand-rolled, sauce-topped meatballs served open face on buns bedded with mozzarella cheese, green peppers and red onions. It’s served with a side of house-made Creole coleslaw.
Wendy Pramik

Trader’s Point Creamery is part farm, part restaurant and part ice cream shop in Zionsville, Ind., an Indianapolis suburb. A herd of 80 cows, milked twice a day, helps the farm produce a variety of milk, ice cream, yogurt and cheeses.
Mike Pramik

Dairy desserts shine at the Loft at Trader’s Point Creamery, which employs a farm-to-table concept with a wide selection of organic foods. Featured here are three varieties of milkshakes ($6.50 each) and a slice of chocolate pie ($8).
Wendy Pramik

Chris Benedyk of Love Handle gazes out the window of his diner in Indy’s Springdale neighborhood, where folks can quench their appetite for grilled beef tongue, duck eggs and roasted pork belly. “It’s like comforty food that’s a little bit eclectic,” says Benedyk, who owns the restaurant with his wife, Ally, known for her killer brownies with raspberry jam. Come November, their restaurant will move to the trendy Mass Ave district.
Wendy Pramik

As a senior basketball player with Milan High in 1954, Bobby Plump made the game-winning shot that defeated Muncie Central, securing the Indiana state title and later inspiring the movie ‘Hoosiers.’ Plump’s Last Shot is a fun neighborhood bar in Indianapolis’ Broad Ripple district. Plump poses with a photo of his historic shot going through the hoop.
Wendy Pramik

Pork tenderloin sandwiches are a big deal in Indianapolis, and Plump’s Last Shot has one of the best ($9.95). Owner Bobby Plump displays the big bite, bearing a ring commemorating Milan winning the state high school basketball championship in 1954.
Wendy Pramik

The king of beers in Indianapolis is Sun King Brewing Company, which opened in 2009 – the first commercial production brewery since the Indianapolis Brewing Co. shuttered its doors in 1948. “We made 36,000 barrels of beer last year and sold all of that in Indiana,” says co-founder Clay Robinson.
Wendy Pramik

Clay Robinson, co-founder of Sun King Brewing in downtown Indianapolis, presents a pint of Sunlight Cream Ale ($5), a gold medal winner at the 2015 Great American Beer Festival. The beer is one of 16 varieties served on tap. “Sunlight is the beer you can hand to your mother, brother, cousin or uncle who doesn’t think they like craft beer and they’ll go, ‘Oh, this is pretty nice. It’s not bitey or heavy.’”
Wendy Pramik

Jockamo’s is well known for its ingenious pizzas such as the Slaughterhouse Five (named in honor of Indy author Kurt Vonnegut), which is topped with pepperoni, ham, sausage, bacon and steak. The meaty meatball sub ($8.50) comes with eight hand-rolled, sauce-topped meatballs served open face on buns bedded with mozzarella cheese, green peppers and red onions. It’s served with a side of house-made Creole coleslaw.(Photo: Wendy Pramik)

Spend some time in the Indiana capital, and you’ll find Benedyk’s description aptly fits the city’s food scene as well as his own menu. To dine around Indy is to discover a tasteful blend of adventuresome cuisine and hearty favorites, served with a healthy dose of hometown pride.

There are plenty of casual and fine dining places in the bustling downtown, erudite eateries in the nearby neighborhoods and homey bars with great food that represent what Indiana is all about.

“The scene has exploded during the last couple of years,” says Micah Harshaw, general manager of The Tamale Place at the Indianapolis City Market. “We’ve got a lot of food options and a lot of people from out of town checking us out.”

Browse the photos above for a tour of 10 tastes of Indianapolis for $10 or less. Plus, see budget-friendly flavors in other cities below.

Posted!

A link has been posted to your Facebook feed.

One side of Carabello’s Coffee in Newport, Ky. (just across the Ohio River from Over-the-Rhine), is a busy pop-in spot for coffee and shots of espresso. The other is like a chef's table for coffee lovers. Analog Coffee Slow Bar is a place to sip, not gulp. The six-seat bar accommodates guests by appointment at the top of each hour. It’s the brainchild of Justin and Emily Carabello, who started out roasting coffee in their garage for friends. “People reserve a seat, and it feels special to them,” says Justin Carabello.
Wendy Pramik

There are plenty of Cincinnati-style chili restaurants, and Camp Washington Chili is the only one that has earned a James Beard Award for being one of "America’s Classics." A fixture in the Camp Washington neighborhood since 1940, this hot chili spot also offers an array of sandwiches, coneys and salads. It’s open 24 hours a day, six days a week.
Wendy Pramik

Camp Washington Chili owner Maria Papakirk runs the restaurant that her father’s uncle founded in 1940 and which her father, Johnny Johnson, oversaw for decades. “We’re a decade older than Skyline, but we all followed Empress Chili,” Papakirk says of the unique Cincinnati style of chili that often smothers spaghetti and gets topped with shredded cheddar cheese. A small three-way plate of chili, a cheese coney, bag of potato chips and a soft drink goes for $9.25 at Camp Washington.
Wendy Pramik

Saunter into Ché in Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood, and you’ll find a burgeoning restaurant that features Argentine empanadas and Italian pizzas. You also can find quality bourbon at the bar and a duck-outta-the-city patio.
Wendy Pramik

Empanadas are the order of the day at Ché in Cincinnati. Known as fritas, or “fried pies,” they’re a popular afternoon snack in Argentina. For $3.50-$4.50, try them with braised pork and shallots, ham and pineapple, or sautéed shrimp with provolone.
Wendy Pramik

The McCoppins, $10 at Coppin’s Restaurant and Bar, is a refined version of the Egg McMuffin. Two slices of homemade bread surround an egg-topped chorizo patty flavored with cheese-and-pepper spread. It’s served with a side of breakfast potatoes.
Wendy Pramik

Gomez Salsa is a convenient walk-up Mexican eatery in Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood that’s open until 2:30 a.m. on weekends. A second location slings tacos and other grab-and-go favorites in the historic Walnut Hills neighborhood.
Wendy Pramik

Graeter’s Ice Cream has been making the frozen dessert in small batches since 1870, when Louis C. Graeter founded the company in Cincinnati. Its process of combining fresh ingredients with egg custard, then freezing the mix in a French pot, has stood the test of time and can be found in markets across Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Indiana.
Wendy Pramik

Cocktails are expertly crafted at The Globe in Covington, Ky., under the guidance of Darren Parr. Drinks under $10 include, from left: the traditional Swizzle, with Watershed bourbon barrel-aged gin, organic pear juice, lemon, syrup and sage; Flight of the Bumble Bee, including Bulleit bourbon, honey syrup and bee pollen; the Venus, which has Cappelletti, honey syrup, lemon juice, orange blossom water and Prosecco; and the Arak Swizzle, which uses local rum, Arak liquor, vermouth, bitters and lemon juice.
Wendy Pramik

The Zipburger is a classic, hearty burger simply presented with the requisite condiments. Zip’s gets its meats fresh daily from Avril Bleh & Sons butchery in Cincinnati. A Zipburger with cheese costs $6 -- amp it up with a side order of crunchy onion rings for $3.50.
Wendy Pramik

Posted!

A link has been posted to your Facebook feed.

On a prime piece of real estate at the corner of St. Charles Ave. and Napoleon Street, Superior Seafood is the ideal place to hop off the streetcar line for an oyster happy hour.
courtesy of Superior Seafood

A dozen Gulf oysters will set you back just $6; they’re 50-cents apiece everyday from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The bivalves at Superior are locally sourced and delivered daily from nearby St. Bernard Parish, La.
David Gallent

Piled high with cured meats and cheeses, then slathered with an olive spread and heated, the half-muffuletta will set you back $9.90 and can serve two people. Enjoy it in the breezy courtyard with an icy cold Pimm’s Cup.
Chris Granger

It may not be the reason you come to New Orleans, but locals love the hot dogs at Dat Dog. With a quirky variety of sausages (some made from alligator or crawfish) and more than 30 toppings, the wieners are not only unique -- they're tasty. The vegan dogs are awesome, too.
courtesy of Dat Dog

The rich chicory coffee pairs perfectly with the fried donuts, generously dusted with powdered sugar. A beignet and small café au lait cost $2.20, or you can get three beignets for the same price.
Anne Roderique-Jones

Salon Restaurant by Sucre, the brainchild of chef Tariq Hanna of Sucre sweets fame, is situated in a stunning French Quarter building, where you’ll want to snag a balcony seat for prime people watching.
Will Crocker

Arguably the best burger in New Orleans, The Company Burger now has two locations (downtown and Freret St.) serving high-quality burgers, shakes, and of course, cocktails.
courtesy of The Company Burger

The Company Burger is the restaurant’s signature item, made with two thin Creekstone Farms beef patties that are ground and cut in house. Topped with melted cheese, the burgers are stacked with red onion and house-made pickles. And the mayo bar is just a bonus for the $8.75 price tag.
courtesy of The Company Burger